2^nd Sabbath after Pentecost

June 8/10, 2007

Peace with Justice Sabbath

Victor H. Nixon

HOW DO I UNDERSTAND SCRIPTURE?

2 Timothy 3:14-17

Understanding and interpreting the Bible is a challenge and an opportunity for every believer. Let me say at the beginning something that most of you already know about me: I am not a biblical literalist. However, I revere and love the Holy Scriptures and discover God’s truth and word in the Bible everyday.

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Once upon a time while leading a Bible study I asked the students to share their favorite scripture. Most were familiar texts, but one was very surprising: the 5^th chapter of Genesis. "Why the 5^th chapter of Genesis?" I asked. "Well," the student said, "it is primarily genealogical lists, sometimes called ‘the begats,’ where so-and-so begat so-and-so who begat so-and-so who begat so-and-so, and on and on. I just get excited thinking about all of that begetting in the Bible!"

Mark Twain, beloved American writer and humorist, once said, "Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand."(1)

Indeed, there is much in the Bible that is difficult to understand because it was written in and translated from ancient languages about ancient cultures and religious practices. But much of it is simple enough to be understood by a pre-school child, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."(Luke 6:31). Everybody understands that. We don’t always practice it. And that should certainly bother us! Mark Twain was often critical of religion but he certainly was a reader and student of the Bible. The Bible remains the most purchased book in the world, but one of the least read. The first rule for understanding and interpreting scripture is that one must read and study the Bible.

The Bible itself says so. Second Timothy reminds us that "all scripture is inspired by God" and useful for equipping disciples of Jesus Christ.(3:16)

John Wesley, founder of Methodist Christianity, referred to himself as homo unius libri, "a person of one book."(2) That statement did not mean that he read nothing but the Bible; rather, it means that the Bible was the primary resource for his life and faith. As an Oxford University teacher and Anglican priest he was a voracious reader of history, philosophy, theology, science, literature, medicine and many other books. But Wesley was first and foremost a student of the Holy Scripture, fluent in the biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek. Scripture changed his life—and it can still do so when it becomes Word of God for you and me. Understanding scripture comes first from reading it.

Most of us, however, do not read original biblical languages and have little interest in them, so we are dependent upon translations and commentaries for understanding and interpretation of the Bible. Both are extremely important. For example, the first word in the Bible in Hebrew is berashith. There are at least three possible meanings: "In beginning," "In a beginning," or "In the beginning." You may prefer one translation over another, but that is irrelevant; this isn’t about preferences. It’s about what the author intended to say and what is correct. We must allow a text to speak to us rather than reading our own preferences into the text. That’s just one of the reasons that translation is important.

Another is that no original manuscript of any biblical book has survived. The same is true of William Shakespeare’s plays, none of which survive in his handwriting. Just like books of the Bible, they are all copies. The survival of ancient scripture is nothing short of miraculous. Yet, the process of copying biblical manuscripts also produced differences in texts of the same book.

It’s very understandable. Manuscripts were mass-produced in scriptoriums where one person read from the manuscript of a particular book of the Bible while copyists wrote in Hebrew, Greek or Latin. Sometimes what was read and what was heard were two different things, maybe two words that sounded alike (like "piece" and "peace") with very different meanings. The result was an unintentional variant reading entered into the text. Sometimes words were omitted, sometimes added. A copyist would include marginal notations from an earlier manuscript. So, one of the major preoccupations of biblical scholars today is "textual criticism:" establishing as nearly as possible the correct wording of the Bible in original languages before translation begins.(3)

Visitors to Bethlehem tour the Church of the Nativity and the grotto (cave) beneath, traditional site of Jesus’ birth. Usually, visitors also tour the Church of St. Catherine next door and a grotto beneath where Jerome completed translation of the Bible in 405 A.D. from Hebrew and Greek into Latin, called the Vulgate. I’ve returned several times to that room and I am always inspired by the thought of that devoted monk spending the last 30 years of his life translating God’s word into a common language of the time.

On February 10, 1604, King James I of England, ordered an English translation of the whole Bible from original Hebrew and Greek. He appointed fifty-four translators who worked in six companies. Each company was assigned a section of the Bible. Two companies met at Oxford, two at Cambridge, and two at Westminster. Each company would consider the work of the other companies and resolve differences. Finally, a committee of six then devoted nine months to final editing.(4) This Bible, with a dedication to King James, was published in 1611, as the Authorized Version of the English-speaking peoples. An incredible work, so beautiful and inspiring to so many!

Since then many translations have appeared in English and other languages. New translations are necessary because our language is always changing, knowledge of biblical language is improving, and additional manuscripts are discovered. For example, the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered at Qumran in 1947 contained every book except Esther in the Hebrew Bible with manuscripts that were up to 1,000 years older than many available at the time. So, A readable and reliable translation is key to understanding and interpretation of Holy Scripture. Usually, a translation done by a group of scholars is better than one done by an individual, and should include footnotes indicating textual variations in ancient manuscripts. Many translations merely update a previous translation, rather than translating from original Hebrew and Greek (like the New King James Version). A paraphrase, like the Living Bible, may be easy to understand but should not be relied upon for accuracy. Comparing translations can yield fresh insight into God’s Word.

Like any book, the Bible requires interpretation. In fact, I claim that it is impossible to read scripture without interpreting. Nehemiah 8:8 says, "So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading." Interpretation is important—and unavoidable. So, how do we interpret scripture responsibly?

The Wesleyan Quadrilateral—scripture, tradition, reason and experience—is a very helpful guide for biblical interpretation. In matters of faith and practice the Bible is first, but not scripture by itself. Scripture should always be interpreted by tradition—what the church has said about a text or subject in the past—and confirmed by experience and reason both individual and corporate. Clarity and understanding of God’s Word is important to Methodists who are not required to toss their minds out the window while reading. Thus, while maintaining the primary place of the Bible in our faith we avoid biblical literalism and bibliolatry (worship of the Bible). In this sense, the Bible does not become God’s Word of truth until it has been sifted through tradition and confirmed by experience and reason.

In addition to reading a reliable translation and making use of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, I believe that prayer should always precede biblical study. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for clarity, insight and inspiration as well as removal of all preoccupations and prejudices so that God may speak clearly through the Holy Scripture. As our Book of Discipline says, "As we open our minds and hearts to the Word of God through the words of human beings inspired by the Holy Spirit, faith is born and nourished, our understanding is deepened, and the possibilities for transforming the world become apparent to us."(5)

I find it helpful to ask the traditional news gathering questions—who, what, where, when, how and why—of a biblical text because the more information I have the better. I also ask four additional questions of a text that are important for interpretation:

What does the text say about God?

What does the text say about people?

What does the text say about their relationship?

Where do I find myself in the text?

When I ask those four questions I usually discover God’s word.

Jesus was a lover of scripture and frequently quoted passages

from the Hebrew Bible of his time—Torah, prophets, psalms and writings. He was well acquainted with them and discovered God’s word in those ancient texts. He once avoided the Devil’s temptations by merely quoting scriptures.(Mt. 4:1-11; Lk 4:1-13) Jesus is called our Savior for a number of reasons, but surely among them is the conviction that he continues to teach us the importance of knowing God’s Word in Holy Scripture and following the One who was and is the Word. Thanks be to God!

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